


Missed Signs

by Ayearandaday



Series: Miss-matched [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awesome Leia, Awesome Rose, Besotted Ben, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, How to tell your husband that you're expecting, Idiots in Love, Married Couple, Maz is no fool, Miscommunication, Pregnancy, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Rey is nervous, Rose is world's best friend, Solo-style, Unplanned Pregnancy, Will Ben figure it out?, Will she tell him?, by Rey Solo, oblivious Ben, they live their HEA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 07:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22492360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/pseuds/Ayearandaday
Summary: Rey has no idea how she managed to miss the obvious signs, but now she has a positive pregnancy test, a whole lot of mixed feelings and no idea how to tell Ben that they’re expecting. It shouldn’t be difficult though, should it?
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Miss-matched [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594930
Comments: 28
Kudos: 263





	Missed Signs

**Author's Note:**

> I just can’t leave this universe alone, can I? But this is the last one, I promise. 
> 
> As always, many thanks to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

Rey had always hated November. Not half as pretty as October, it was also cold, wet, and gloomy, loaded with work, and topped off with autumn colds. Or the flu, if she were particularly unlucky. Being sick brought back unwelcome memories from her foster care days, which Rey had promised herself never to dwell on again. Her new life was full of caring friends, doting in-laws, and, most importantly, a wonderful, understanding, gentle husband who took such good care of her, keeping her warm in every way she liked. Still, being in bed with Ben was much better when she wasn’t burning up or her nose wasn’t running constantly.

Of course, Rey was in a hurry to return to work as soon as she could, both wanting to get back into her routine and dreading how behind she must be. Ben did not approve. Rey still had some residual symptoms like a bit of coughing and persistent nausea.

“Sweetheart, you really need to see a doctor,” he pleaded, frowning as she made an emergency bathroom trip again.

“It’s nothing,” she waved off her overbearing husband. If he could, he would totally keep her in bubble wrap for her safety which was appreciated but not welcome.

The love of her life kept frowning. “Rey, it’s not nothing. You are sick every morning, you react to smells oddly, and seriously, there is a possibility you might…”

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. She wasn’t dying, was she? “Ben, it’s just the flu. Some of my colleagues have the same symptoms. It’s nothing, I promise.”

He gave her a dubious look. “If you aren’t better soon, I’ll drag you to the doctor again myself,” Ben warned. It wasn’t an empty threat, either.

“Deal,” Rey smiled at his protective behaviour.

Her silly husband had had nothing to worry about. In a couple of days, she felt better and that was it. 

Or so she thought. Life had an odd sense of humour when it came to her or her family. Rey was going shopping with Rose, but she couldn’t leave without giving Ben one extra kiss. In her opinion, lips like that deserved to be worshipped on a regular basis.

“Baby, you’re going to be late,” her husband murmured, smiling.

“I know, I know,” she grumbled. “I’m on my way already.”

Oddly, Rey had a weird feeling that she forgot something. Her keys and wallet were in her purse, her phone, too. It hit her halfway there. She wasn’t going to be late, she _was_ late.

How was it even possible? They were always careful, even though they had trouble keeping their hands off each other. Rey took her birth control religiously. Except that her mind was so fuzzy when she had the flu and she could have missed a pill, or her antibiotics didn’t mix well with the pill, and she _had_ demanded Ben warm her up…. Needless to say, when Rey finally got to her friend, she was considerably worked up.

“Rose, I'm late,” she uttered with wide eyes.

The woman in question checked her phone.

“You’re five minutes early.”

“Rose, I'm _late_.” This time Rey’s eyes bulged even more.

“Hon, calm down, I'm not your boss or anything,” her friend tried to reassure her, confused by her sudden panicked state.

“I'm _late_ late!” Rey saw the exact moment Rose finally got it.

“As in... shi...fu... fantastic!” the brunette squealed. “I mean,” she looked at her with worry, “you OK?”

Was Rey OK? She had no idea. “Yes. No. I don’t know! It's... we have plans... careers… it's just too soon... what will Ben say?” The anxiety she felt only heightened. They had had the kids talk already. Children, while desirable, weren’t in the books for a couple years. The timing was wrong, very wrong.

Rose saw the horror on Rey’s face and grabbed her hands, effectively grounding her. “Honey, there are only two ways in which Ben would react: either happy or ecstatic. You know that, don’t you?”

“Oh.” As always, Rosie was right. It was such a Ben thing to do after all.

“Rey, do _you_ want this kid?”

She hadn’t considered this either. “I don't know. I mean, we wanted to wait for a couple of years, but...” Rey trailed off. Somewhere inside her was probably a tiny life with Ben’s eyes or her freckles or his adorable ears. It was _theirs._ How could she not love it? “It's not like I don't want it,” she murmured, confused with herself. 

Rose nodded as if she were expecting it. “That’s OK. Now you only need to find out whether or not you are actually pregnant.” 

Rey gaped at her. She hadn’t even thought about this. “Shit! Right, right. Let’s do that.”

One hour later she emerged from Rose’s bathroom, armed with three different pregnancy tests showing the same result.

“So?” her friend asked eagerly.

Rey smiled through tears. “Yes.”

Rose enveloped her in a bear hug. “Oh, honey. Don’t cry.” 

“It's fine,” she sniffed. “I'm fine, I think. Hormones. Probably.”

“I'm going to be an auntie,” Rose beamed.

“A godmother,” Rey sniffed, getting another hug from her friend.

“Awww.”

“Now I just have to tell Ben. No big deal, right?”

Who knew that telling your husband of two years that you’re expecting could be so difficult? Rey completely freaked out. She was waiting for him with the tests in hand, prepared to ambush Ben with the news, but the moment he walked in she panicked, shoved the tale-tell sticks under the bed, and pretended that nothing was off. It was so damn stupid, that if Rey wasn’t completely terrified, she would kick her own ass. If only her mother was there to offer advice… But the closest thing she had to a mother was Leia and she wasn’t ready to tell her just yet, which only left her best female friend to bother. 

“Rose, I chickened out,” Rey whispered into her phone.

Rose, to her credit, didn’t bat an eyelash at getting a panicked call so late at night.

“Oh dear. What’s happened?”

“I just… I panicked,” she offered lamely.

“But why? You have nothing to worry about.”

“It’s just so scary to tell him…”

“Then don’t,” her friend interjected.

“Rose!”

“No, I mean, you can just hint to him. Let Ben figure it out. He’s a smart boy.”

That gave Rey pause. It… wasn’t a bad idea, was it? “I guess I can try.”

What hinted ‘babies’? No, what _screamed_ ‘babies’? What screamed ‘babies’ and wasn’t diapers? Cabbage! Rey felt like she won a jackpot. She only needed to scatter the vegetable all over the apartment and call it a day. How simple is that?

Too bad that there was more than one type of cabbage. Broccoli, green, purple, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts… And it was all so pretty. Either the pregnancy hormones had kicked in, or cabbage would make a perfect houseplant, Rey mused. Confused and fascinated, she picked whatever caught her eye to arrange it in wide dishes like some sort of vegetable ikebana. Hopefully, her husband would appreciate her creativity.

Ben did not.

“Rey, baby, why do we have _cabbage bouquets_ everywhere?”

The poor dear looked like a very confused puppy and Rey’s heart melted on the spot. Her husband was attractive to the point of distraction. On second thought, wasn’t that why she was in this predicament to begin with?

“Oh, it’s just…” Rey flushed.

“What?”

“A hint,” she murmured, suddenly shy. Why was it so hard?!

Ben’s face fell. “Dear God,” he muttered, making her stomach drop. “Please don’t tell me Finn got you on his health food kick.”

It took Rey a moment to understand his words. “What? No, not that.”

“Because I can’t survive on cabbage alone, Sweetheart,” he insisted.

“I know,” Rey answered testily. Why, no, _how_ had it come to this?! Things weren’t supposed to go this way.

“Please let’s just order pizza.” Her husband had the audacity to make puppy dog eyes and she had a very soft spot for those.

“Sure, sure,” she mumbled, still annoyed that her idea failed, but ultimately letting it slide.

“So what _did_ it mean?” Ben asked after a while, when they had made it through half of the second pizza. Rey glanced between him and her poor attempt at cabbage floristics, feeling the moment irrevocably lost.

“Nothing important.”

The next day she complained through their whole coffee run. Rose, the magnificent human being she was, took it in stride, offering whatever support and advice she could give.

“Rey, that’s…” the brunette shook her head at the whole story. “Maybe try something more straightforward next time?”

She looked at her friend sceptically. “Like what?”

Rose looked around, searching for inspiration. Her eyes landed on a shop window exhibiting porcelain figurines which they had passed a hundred times before. Only this time one of those figurines was a gorgeous porcelain stork. The girl grinned. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

The stork looked perfectly at home on their mantelpiece (bless her husband for installing a real mantelpiece for a fake fireplace). Rey had to rearrange some knick-knacks, which led her to the idea to look for new couch pillows, which, in turn, made her crave new curtains. By the time Ben came home she was deeply engrossed in a paint catalogue. They would need a nursery soon anyway.

“Sweetheart, I’m home.”

“In here,” Rey called from the living room where she was snuggled with her laptop. Ben leaned in to kiss her sweetly and peered at the screen.

“Are you planning on redecorating?”

“Um, yeah,” she smiled awkwardly, “the guest room needs a new wall color.” And a crib. And child furniture.

“What’s wrong with the old one?” Ben asked, referring to the neutral beige.

“It’s so… meh. I don’t want blue or pink, though. How about this green? It’s so gender-neutral,” Rey smiled widely at her baffled husband.

“Whatever you want,” he looked at her oddly.

“Great!” Now her smile was almost maniacal.

Ben blinked, then shrugged, and then his gaze finally landed on the stork figurine and he frowned again. “Baby, what is this weird crane doing here?”

Rey mentally sighed in relief. “It’s not a crane, it’s a stork, silly. You know, the…” _one that brings babies_.

Her husband huffed, clearly determined to argue. “No, it’s a crane and he gives me the creeps.”

Rey wasn’t sure what the difference was between storks and cranes or how he could tell one from another, but what did he have against the innocent bird? “Ben, they are harmless,” she insisted. Her husband shuddered.

“I once saw one swallow a whole snake. They are _not_ harmless.” He probably noticed as her face fell and promptly tapped something on the screen. “Great paint color, though. What do you want for dinner?”

“Rose, I tell you, he just won’t take a hint,” Rey said in her whiniest tone over her cupcake. The sweet tooth was getting worse every day. Pregnancy hormones, probably.

“Men,” her friend sighed sympathetically. “Paige had to tell her fiancé five times that he’d have a new team player soon until he finally got it. Men are slow like that.”

“Do I have to spell it out or something?” she grumbled, reaching for a chocolate chip cookie.

Rose winced at the display.

“Maybe.”

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Rey muttered darkly.

Since she religiously kept her receipts, Rey was able to return the ill-fated stork/crane. Sadly, the store didn’t do refunds, but they offered to exchange the figurine for anything else she liked. The shelves were loaded with Christmas-themed stuff like Santas, reindeers, and Christmas trees all in neat rows. But what caught her eye was a simple crib with a baby with a dog peering inside and a sheep lying underneath. The whole scene was so sweet and pastoral, so of course it ended up on one of Ben’s bookshelves.

“What are you looking at?” her husband asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Rey melted on the spot. He smelled delicious and was so warm and firm that she just wanted to rub all over him like an affectionate cat.

“Isn’t he cute?” Rey cooed at the baby. “Looks great here.”

“Isn’t it too early for a nativity scene?” Ben rumbled, making her tense.

“Nativity scene?”

“Sweetheart, that’s baby Jesus,” he smiled against her neck. “You just forgot to add Mary and Joseph.”

“Mary and Joseph?” she asked faintly, vaguely remembering a man, a woman, and three odd dudes in fancy costumes that accompanied the figurine.

“His parents. Well, technically Joseph is a step-dad, but…”

“I took a baby away _from his parents_?” Rey choked on her words from the distress. How could she do such a terrible, horrible, unforgivable thing?!

“Rey, Sweetheart?” Ben asked with concern.

“I took a baby away from his parents,” she sobbed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her husband looked at her with panic.

“Oh, no, no, no, please don’t cry. No, Sweetheart. It’s OK, it’s fine,” he smoothed her hair awkwardly as Rey cried her heart out into his shirt.

Needless to say that the next morning Mary, Joseph, and Three Wise Men for good measure, were delivered to her, thanks to Ben. But the opportunity was lost.

“Rose, I fucked up,” Rey whined into the phone while deciding what supermarket aisle she wanted to explore next.

“Oh?” Her friend sounded oddly high-pitched and breathless.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” It sounded like a bad-covered moan.

“Are you _screwing_?!” Rey asked suspiciously, suddenly envious of her. Why did Rose get to have fun while she did grocery shopping?! She was the married one between them two!

“No!” came the indignant reply. The sound of sheets rusting implied otherwise.

“Are you _being_ screwed?”

There was a commotion on the other side, then a happy voice chirped, “Hi, Rey!”

“Hi, Jannah,” she sighed. Sure, Rey was happy for Rose and her extremely fun love life, but she had a real problem on her hands.

“What’s up?”

“I was just telling your girlfriend how I can’t tell my husband that we’re expecting,” she snapped.

“Congratulations! I mean, you’re happy about that, right?” There was more commotion, probably Rose filling Jannah in on the matter.

“Do I sound happy to you?” Rey grumbled. “I haven’t even told Ben that I will resemble a whale in five months, maybe earlier if they are twins. What should I be happy about?”

“Um, foot rubs?” Jannah suggested. “My sis-in-law lived for that shit. And no diet is great, too.”

“Hm.” It did sound pretty nice. “Wait, she has a kid?”

“Two. Cute little rascals,” the girl smiled fondly. “Actually, when they expected the second one, she gave us these adorable onesies as an announcement gift. Maybe you can give your hubs one?”

“Onesies?” Rey frowned.

“Baby shoes, tiny clothes, anything baby-sized.”

“Baby-sized you say?” she hummed, eyeing a package of baby carrots. “I like that.”

“Great!” the girl chirped. “Because you were sort of interrupting.”

“Jannah!” Rose snapped.

“That’s fine, don’t worry,” Rey calmed her friend, turning to a baby food stand.

“Cool! Good luck and see you later!” Jannah quipped before ending the call.

Rey admired her handiwork with satisfaction. Baby potatoes. Baby carrots. Baby ribs. Mashed potatoes and broccoli puree. Ben had to get the hint, right?

“Sweetheart?” her husband called.

“In here.” Rey smiled as he eyed her ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron appreciatively.

“Someone’s being a perfect housewife?”

“Oh yes, hubby,” she swatted his chest playfully. “Now give me a kiss.” He, like a good boy, complied immediately. Ben was good at doing what she wanted. That is, as long as it didn’t come to figuring out obscure hints.

“Rey, what’s with the food?” he frowned at her offering.

She smiled innocently. “What do you mean?”

“It’s all… tiny.”

Rey beamed, happy that he finally got the message. “Yes, perfect for a…” _child._

“I’m not trying this diet either, regardless of what Finn thinks,” her husband said carefully.

She blinked. How was this happening again?

“Ben, baby…”

“I mean, it’s delicious and all, but seriously.”

“How about _this_?” Rey slide a tiny kriffing plate toward him.

“Broccoli puree?” He turned to her with a pinched expression. “Rey, I’m not sick. I can chew my food.”

“Not everyone can,” she tried to lay it on thick.

“I have all my teeth, thank you,” Ben grumbled, making her groan internally.

“I also have an apple puree for dessert,” Rey added desperately. “You know, perfect food for a…”

“For a vegan,” her husband finished darkly. “I mean, thank you for making such a feast, but I do love normal food. And so do you,” he reminded her pointedly.

I also love smart people, she thought darkly to herself.

Rey’s patience was running thin. She wanted to grab her husband and knock the knowledge into his stupid head. Why wouldn’t he just figure it out? He wasn’t a complete nerfherder after all.

“You want me to be literal? I will be literal,” she muttered to herself. “Ben, can you give me a hand?”

“Sure, Sweetheart,” he smiled at her pouty expression.

Rey batted her eyelashes at him. “I can’t get the powdered sugar, it’s too high and I have a bun in the oven.” She expected the realisation on her husband’s face, the understanding in his eyes. Nothing.

“Give me a second.”

“Ben, I have _a bun in the oven_ ,” she repeated more insistently.

“I heard you the first time, baby,” he smiled, handing her the box. “It’s cinnamon, right?”

“A bun. In. The. Oven,” Rey basically growled as Ben leaned over to check the pastries.

“Mmm, my favourite. You’re an angel,” he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

“You’re an ass,” she muttered in exasperation.

Things were bad. So bad that Rey decided to ask her mother-in-law for help. Leia being Leia organized a full-on war council at Cantina with her and Rose as self-appointed generals. Rey didn’t care about the logistics, she only wanted to be done with this excruciating limbo she was in.

“Leia, I don’t know what to do,” she sniffed into her camomile tea.

“Hon, it’s not so bad,” Rose soothed her. “I mean, it is bad, but it could be worse.”

“Thank you,” Rey deadpanned.

“She’s right, dear.” Leia lightly patted her hand. “You’ll tell my idiot son eventually.”

“When? And how?” she sighed.

“Or don’t,” quipped Maz, serving their orders. “Just wait a couple more month and your belly will do all the talking. Well, either that or you’ll give birth.”

“Not you, too,” Rey groaned at the older woman. “Wait, how do _you_ know?”

“When you live as long as me, you recognize that glow,” Maz winked behind her glasses. “That and you’re not exactly quiet.”

“Ugh. What do I do?”

The older woman shrugged. “Just tell him. The boy will be overjoyed.”

“Seconded,” Leia quipped.

“I wonder how Ben hasn’t picked up on it already,” Rose mused aloud. “You’re so attuned to each other.”

Rey sighed. “No idea. Leia, was it easy with Han?” She peered at her mother-in-law questioningly.

The woman shook her head. “No. But keep in mind that I was younger than you and we weren’t married. I had plans and a career to build and it was _terrifying_.”

“What did you do?”

Leia smiled. “Same as you. I freaked out.”

“I don’t believe that,” Rey scoffed. Her mother-in-law had always been a picture of poise and composure.

“I did, though. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to hint to him. Didn’t go well,” Leia rolled her eyes.

Rose leaned in with interest. “Color me intrigued.”

The woman lowered her voice conspiratorially. “First, I left baby slippers in the Falcon and he asked if my dog lost his shoes. Then I borrowed my friend’s sonogram, it was still too early for my own,” she explained, “and framed it. Well, apparently Han “didn’t get modern art”. Still doesn’t,” Leia scoffed with fond exasperation. “So I thought ‘fuck it’, and bought him a card with ‘Congratulations, Daddy’ on it.”

“And?”

The woman’s face darkened. “And that nerfherder said that it was the most creative way to admit my kinks. I tried to strangle him with my bare hands. Not my proudest moment. Anyway,” Leia quickly switched topics, “my advice is to be direct. The Solo men don’t get hints. At all.”

“I guess you’re right,” Rey sighed.

She had to be direct with her husband, there was no way around it. Sure, Rey could make an announcement at Leia’s party, but it was Ben’s thing and she wanted to do it privately. Christmas it was.

Rey packed her positive pregnancy tests into colourful paper, hoping that this time there was no way to be misunderstood. If not, she’d just use her words. One way or another, but it’d happen today.

“Merry Christmas, Ben!” Rey smiled at her husband nervously, handing him the gift.

“Merry Christmas, love!” Somehow, his smile was equally nervous and he was doing that thing with his jaw that he did when worried.

“Open it,” she encouraged.

“You first.”

“Ben.”

He looked at her pleadingly. “Seriously, Rey, it’s vital that you open your gift first.”

“But…”

“Please.” His begging eyes did it to her. And did it even matter who would be first? Huffing, she tore away the paper and stared confusedly at the familiar packaging... of a pregnancy test.

“Ben, what is this?” she looked at her husband, befuddled. Ben ran a nervous hand through his hair.

“A pregnancy test. Rey, you probably won’t believe me, but I think you’re pregnant.”

“What?” She was sure she was having an out-of-body experience or had somehow slipped into a parallel reality.

“That “flu”,” Ben reminded her. “I think you missed your birth control. Your period, too.” He squeezed her hand supportively. “Sure, you were so busy, but it’s your health, Sweetheart.” If Rey wasn’t so bewildered to begin with, she would ask how he knew her cycle better than she did. “The symptoms you had, tiredness, nausea, smell sensitivity, it happens at early stages of pregnancy, too. I wanted you to go to the doctor, but you were so adamant that it was just residual symptoms of flu…” 

“Ben,” she whispered, feeling her head swim.

“And other things? Odd food cravings, mood swings, and don’t get me started on those apartment renovations. You’re _nesting_ ,” her husband insisted. “Your subconsciousness knows the truth already. Just accept it. I know it’s not what we were planning, the timing is off and you are scared, but it’s OK. I’m here, I’ve got you. Don’t be afraid, I feel it, too.” He looked at her with such intense love and adoration that at that moment all the emotions she harboured for so long finally got out. “Rey?” Ben looked at her with worry as she made a high-pitched sound. “Rey, baby, are you crying? Are you _laughing?!_ ” he asked frantically. “Rey, what’s wrong? Sweetheart, talk to me, please? Rey? Rey?!”


End file.
